Data Call for Travel Management Planning Accomplishments and Future Planning Timeline Development
In Reply Refer To:
8340 (NV 8340) P
United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Nevada State Office
P.O. Box 12000 (1340 Financial Blvd.)
Reno, Nevada 89520-0006
http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en.html
April 2, 2010
EMS TRANSMISSION 02/02/2010
Instruction Memorandum No. NV-2010-029
Expires: 09/30/2011
To: District and Field Managers, Nevada
From: State Director
Subject: Data Call for Travel Management Planning Accomplishments and Future Planning Timeline Development
DD: 05/05/10
Program Area: Recreation/Travel Management
Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) provides guidance to complete WO IM 2010-082 requesting each State to report travel management planning accomplishments and to develop and report timelines for future travel management planning.
Policy/Action: All Field Offices are to use the spreadsheet provided in Attachment 1 of this IM for their office to report travel management planning accomplishments as well as plans and timelines for future travel management planning to the Nevada State Office (NVSO) using the guidance provided in WO IM 2010-082. An example is provided on the spreadsheet in Attachment 1. A note associated with each column header on the spreadsheet page provides further instructions.
For each field office there may be multiple travel management plans completed or anticipated depending on whether or not the planning unit is subdivided into travel management areas (TMAs). A TMA is the planning sub-unit for which individual travel management plans are to be prepared. TMAs may be delineated to address particular concerns and prescribe specific management actions for a defined geographic area.
A travel management plan may include the entire field office but more frequently includes various sub-units of the field office. Given the size of field offices in Nevada, it may be unrealistic to attempt travel planning for an entire field office at one time. Therefore, it may be necessary for field offices to subdivide into TMAs. Each TMA will require identifiable boundaries in order to determine the number of acres in the TMA and the amount of route inventory necessary to complete for the TMA.
TMAs may be developed using specials areas such as: one or more Special Recreation Management Areas (SRMAs), one or more Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs), Wilderness Areas or Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs). Other strategies may use watershed boundaries, NDOW Hunt Unit boundaries, wildland/urban interface area boundaries or major highways as boundaries. National Conservation Areas (NCAs) are required to have a travel management plan of their own. NCAs may also have multiple TMAs.
Be realistic in delineating the size of a TMA. Across the Bureau, TMAs have averaged about 500,000 acres. It may be reasonable to have a TMA of several million acres if the number of routes to be evaluated is manageable. For highly complex wildland/urban interface areas, TMAs of 30,000 to 50,000 acres may be appropriate.
TMA boundaries may be altered during subsequent planning efforts.
Please provide realistic estimates of the anticipated year of completion for each TMA based on current resources available to complete this work.
Timeframe: The deadline to complete and submit this data call to the Nevada State Office is May 5, 2010. Please send the completed spreadsheet to Leo Drumm. NVSO will compile the data for the state and submit to WO-250 by May 7, 2010.
Budget Impact: None
Background: In response to a request from the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, House Committee on Natural Resources, the GAO prepared a report on the management of Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV) on federal lands managed by the Forest Service, BLM and NPS. The report, dated June 30, 2009, included specific recommendations to BLM to better manage OHV use on Public Land. One of the recommendations is for BLM to establish time frames for carrying out its stated goals of completing travel management planning on all public lands.
DOI’s response, dated October 27, 2009, acknowledges the need for time frames to track progress and committed the BLM to, “develop a travel management action plan that included an implementation schedule to guide and accelerate the completing of all travel management plans.”
As a performance measure, BLM currently reports to Congress the number of Travel Management Plans (TMPs) completed. To date approximately 80 TMPs have been completed nationwide. It is estimated there may be as many as 240 TMPs left to complete.
Contact: If you have questions or concerns regarding this IM, contact Leo Drumm at 775-861-6465.
Signed By:
Ron Wenker
State Director
Authenticated By:
Ellyn Darrah
Administrative Assistant
Attachment
1- Template Spreadsheet